


Interlude

by VentoSereno



Series: Vignettes [5]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Book 6: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Denial, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-09
Updated: 2018-03-11
Packaged: 2019-03-29 03:12:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,267
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13918173
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VentoSereno/pseuds/VentoSereno
Summary: A one-shot that became a two-shot.





	1. Interlude

The night the Montgomery boy dies, Remus runs.

Having been unable to prevent the boy's death, he now can't bear to be anywhere near the werewolves, or the camp. He runs, still half-naked post-transformation, with an energy he didn't know he possessed.

He's got to get away. He'd crawl out of his own skin if he could.

He runs, out into the forest, where he's stowed his wand in the hollow trunk of a dead tree.

Disapparates.

 _Away,_ he thinks. _Home._

There's only one place in the world he might feel clean again.

He is not surprised when he opens his eyes to find he is in front of her door. 

* * *

She's asleep when she hears knocking.

 _A knock on the door in the midst of war cannot be a good thing,_ she thinks. Surprisingly poetic for a tired auror being dragged out of bed at four in the morning.

To her amazement, it's him.

* * *

She ushers him in, and he is only now becomingly dimly aware that it's so late it's early, and she must've been fast asleep, and he must look terrifying.

He begins to apologise, but she shushes him, pushing him down onto her bed.

 _Beds are dangerous_ , his brain offers, unhelpfully. 

She is doing a great many things at once - lighting candles, summoning a first aid kit, kindling the fire.

Remus watches her moving in the soft glow of the flames, and thinks he's never loved anyone like he loves her.

Then he closes his eyes and doesn't think anymore.

* * *

It takes him a long time to come to. He keeps swimming to the surface of consciousness, but every time he drops down again, not ready to face the music. 

When he opens his eyes, it's getting dark. 

It's quiet, it's warm, and he's sleeping in an actual bed again, so he lets his eyelids fall shut once more. The pillows smell like her. 

When he opens his eyes once again, the fire's been lit and she's back. She's moving around the room quietly, laying places at a table he's never seen before, by the hearth. The smell of something warm and meaty wafts over and Remus realises he's starving. 

"'Lo." He manages to croak out, voice hoarser than ever.

Tonks jumps, dropping the jug she was holding, which shatters and soaks her feet with water. She looks at him with a mix of relief and exasperation.

Despite himself, he grins. 

* * *

She helps him to the table, despite his protestations.

He's quiet as they eat, but when she reaches towards him to pile his plate a second time he catches her hand and presses a kiss to the inside of her wrist. 

"Thank you." He whispers, his voice still hoarse.

It's such a small gesture. It's nothing, really, but it's so intimate in its simplicity it makes her heart ache. 

* * *

Later, when he's full and warm and still fuzzy-headed, he watches her, sitting across the table from him.

Silence has fallen between them, and he watches her fiddle with her glass, rolling its stem round and around in her hand.

She'd been chatting animatedly just a moment ago, her cheeriness belying the sad droop of her still brown hair. 

_My being here makes her happy,_ he thinks.

 _It's because of you she's colourless in the first place,_ comes the voice of worn rationality that's been his life-long companion. 

* * *

"Thank you." He says again as she begins to move around the room, putting everything back to rights. He tries to get up. "Let me help you."

"Don't be ridiculous." She pushes him back down by his shoulders, firmly.

So he watches her, sat by the fire, lulled by her movements. He sits and pretends to himself that this is his life, not a masquerade that will be over by morning.

* * *

Later, he's back in her bed, his head resting on her chest, her hand smoothing his hair away from his face.

He doesn't care if it's weak, if it would only mean being safe in her arms for the rest of his life. 

He can feel the words tumble out his mouth before he can stop them.

* * *

He wakes at dawn. 

She's still asleep, face and body turned towards him, utterly open to him. 

He shifts away, willing himself not to look at her, as waves of longing wash over him.

_Stay with her, be with her. Keep her safe from harm._

But it's impossible, so he puts his rags back on, finds his wand, and leaves.


	2. Back at the Camp

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooops, this became a two-shot.

Back at the camp, things have settled back to normal.

No-one notices as Remus slips into the run-down shack that houses his clique. 

He greets Martha, the alpha of the pack, causally, as if his forty-eight hour disappearance was perfectly normal. 

In his corner, he's relieved to see his things haven't been moved. He's got a reasonably good spot, with both roof cover and protection from draughts. He'd assumed, as the latest addition to the pack, that both his sleeping spot and his belongings would've been claimed by now.

_So that's something._

Martha watches him wearily, but when Remus turns to look at her, her gaze slides off him, almost guiltily. So his absence was noticed, then.

_Ask no questions, tell no lies._

Remus is about to head out again, to start on his daily chores - find clean water and firewood - when a shadow falls across the doorway.

Greyback.

His heart hammering in his chest, Remus tries to act nonchalantly.

_Calm down. Greyback often stops by to speak to the heads of the various sub-groups._

He stands and heads for the door as Greyback advances into the main room, eyes intent on Martha.

_See? It's got nothing to do with you. Act normal._

He's almost level with Greyback and out the door - _Don't look at me, Don't look at me_ \- when Greyback flings out an arm. It stops Remus in his tracks, making him jump.

Greyback smirks as Remus tries to collect himself. _Too conspicuous._

"Lupin. So kind of you to join us again."

Remus says nothing, having learnt long ago that careful silence is safer than rash eloquence.

"How is the wizarding world? Tell me - are werewolves now welcomed with open arms?"

Remus returns his gaze levelly, trying his best to not betray any emotion in his face.

"I wouldn't know."

"Really? And yet, you seem to run back to them every chance you get. Why's that, I wonder?"

"I was not in London. I needed some time to recover, after the last moon. Alone."

Greyback laughs then, a mirthless, cruel laugh, which does nothing to settle the panic rising through Remus.

"Did it upset you? What we did to that little brat? Does it hurt your fine, wizarding sensibilities?"

Greyback's heavy, blood-stained breath is hot on Remus' face. 

"Does it remind you of what I did to you?"

Remus does not move a muscle. He refuses to react to the provocation. 

Greyback's face twists angrily as he pulls away, his temper flaring. 

"You reek of her. Do you know that?"

Remus' blood runs cold.

"What?" He stammers out. _Fool. Stay silent._

"Whoever she is. Your little bird." He leans forward again and takes a long, deliberate, sniff. "Young thing, is she?"

"I..I was in the forest." But his reply comes a beat too late and his tone betrays him, if not his clenched fists and the cold sweat beading on his forehead. 

Suddenly, Greyback shoves Remus away from him. Taken by surprise, he sprawls to the floor.

"Don't let me catch you at it again, Lupin. Or I'll pay her a little visit myself."

**Author's Note:**

> It'll be time for the Hospital Scene soon. Hopefully we'll finally get some resolution


End file.
